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Further experimental evidence for the mask model of narcissism

Further experimental evidence for the mask model of narcissism
Further experimental evidence for the mask model of narcissism
According to the mask model, narcissists portray a hard exterior, but possess a soft core. This presumed fragility has been typically operationalized as a discrepancy between explicit and implicit self-esteem, producing inconsistent findings. A reason for the inconclusiveness may be that narcissism has been tested in situ. We report an experiment (N=209) where narcissists manifested hypervigilance: faster reaction times to self-threatening stimuli when their fragility was subliminally exposed. However, given ampler time (235ms vs. 149ms), narcissists switched from defensiveness to self-regulation: equivalent reaction times to those of non-narcissists. This switch, being rapid and difficult to detect, may explain prior inconclusiveness. Despite transient intrapersonal turbulence in the face of self-threat, narcissists quickly regain their composure and re-establish their granite exterior.
1529-8868
Hardaker, Mark
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Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Tsakanikos, Elias
dfadf128-8a2a-4655-a595-86398e22537e
Hardaker, Mark
d6cf8ab4-21c7-4ce9-9cba-0cde99ead2ce
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Tsakanikos, Elias
dfadf128-8a2a-4655-a595-86398e22537e

Hardaker, Mark, Sedikides, Constantine and Tsakanikos, Elias (2019) Further experimental evidence for the mask model of narcissism. Self and Identity. (doi:10.1080/15298868.2019.1667862).

Record type: Article

Abstract

According to the mask model, narcissists portray a hard exterior, but possess a soft core. This presumed fragility has been typically operationalized as a discrepancy between explicit and implicit self-esteem, producing inconsistent findings. A reason for the inconclusiveness may be that narcissism has been tested in situ. We report an experiment (N=209) where narcissists manifested hypervigilance: faster reaction times to self-threatening stimuli when their fragility was subliminally exposed. However, given ampler time (235ms vs. 149ms), narcissists switched from defensiveness to self-regulation: equivalent reaction times to those of non-narcissists. This switch, being rapid and difficult to detect, may explain prior inconclusiveness. Despite transient intrapersonal turbulence in the face of self-threat, narcissists quickly regain their composure and re-establish their granite exterior.

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Hardaker_Sedikides_Tsakanikos_SAI - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 10 September 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 21 September 2019

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 434395
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/434395
ISSN: 1529-8868
PURE UUID: 29734bd8-2ef7-4db3-befc-af7d0746b198
ORCID for Constantine Sedikides: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4036-889X

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Date deposited: 23 Sep 2019 16:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:49

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Contributors

Author: Mark Hardaker
Author: Elias Tsakanikos

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